In this post, you can find Day 1 Cheltenham tips as we have you covered for all the action from Tuesday at the Festival.
1.30 pm – Cheltenham Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tips
Phil Anderson: Preference is for Gordon Elliott’s runner, Firefox . He was on a steep upward curve before a blip at Naas in January at a point when the yard weren’t really firing. That’s an effort worth forgiving and his maiden hurdle success is the piece of form to focus on.
He dished out a first loss to Ballyburn that day and while that rival was unsuited by the sit and sprint nature of the race, the pair still pulled a long way clear of the remainder of the field.
It’s a race that has thrown up a stack of subsequent winners and Firefox’s potent turn of foot displayed that day will stand him in good stead back down in trip.
Tip: Firefox @ 6/1
Tony Keenan: I’d like to back Mystical Power to beat Tullyhill , I think there’s more improvement in him anyway. He has only had the 3 runs… he’d probably want a bit of nice ground.
You’d look at it and you’d say they beat Jigoro by a similar distance but Mystical Power’s race went far more against Mystical Power than… a little bit off a softie Tullyhill got.
I see the two of them, Mystical Power is the bigger of the two if the market were to stay that way I’d be happy enough backing Mystical Power to beat Tullyhill.
Tip: Mystical Power @ 10/3
2.10 pm – Cheltenham Arkle Chase Tips
Johnny Dineen : I do think it’s a wide-open race… I’d be giving JPR One and possibly Inthepocket (NR) a chance.
Robbie Power : I think Quilixios has an each-way chance, I think it’s a wide-open Arkle. JPR One has an each-way chance in the race. Actually, Gavin’s [Cromwell] horse My Mate Mozzie has an each-way chance in the race, he’ll be ridden to run well and that’s the kind of horse you’re looking for they’re going to go quick in the Arkle. And I think My Mate Mozzie and Quilixios are each-way chances.
Gavin Cromwell : Il Etait Temps and Found A Fifty [the biggest dangers].
David Casey : Quilixios E/W
*The above Arkle Chase tips are from panellists at the BoyleSports Cheltenham Preview Night on February 23rd.
Phil Anderson : There are a few doubts about those at the front of the market in the Arkle, perhaps most notably the propensity for a couple of them to jump right, and one that might be worth chancing at an each-way sort of price is Matata .
He didn’t go quick enough when tapped for toe at Lingfield behind JPR One last time but he was coming back again at the line and he could be hard to catch if he’s allowed to get loose on the front end, particularly over this course and distance.
Tip: Matata @ 18/1 E/W
2.50 pm – Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase Tips
Phil Anderson : Meetingofthewaters has a fairly obvious chance but his price has probably gone and with BoyleSports offering five places, it’s worth chancing one at a bigger price.
The recent rain that has come is a massive bonus for Famous Bridge . He was travelling as well as any of his rivals before an unlucky unseat in the Grand National trial at Haydock last time and that was an uncharacteristic mistake, brushing through the top of a fence before failing to get the landing gear out.
This is a race connections target and he’ll be sticking to his task well when others are faltering.
Tip: Famous Bridge @ 16/1
Keith Melrose : Weveallbeencaught has not run this year but showed enough promise in getting relevant course experience at the October, November and December meetings at Cheltenham.
He has been saved for the festival ever since and is surely better than a mark of 134.
Tip: Weveallbeencaught @ 8/1
3.30 pm – Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Tips
Richard Johnson : It is a shame that Constitution Hill is not there. So, it is State Man's race to lose. You couldn’t make a case for anything else beating him unless he underperforms.
Tip: State Man @ 1/3
Phil Anderson : It’s difficult to get away from the claims of State Man who already has eight Grade 1 victories to his name with seven of those coming in open company.
His only recent defeat came at the hands of Constitution Hill in this race last year and without that rival lining up, he’s hard to back against on ground he’s fine on.
An each-way case can be made for Iberico Lord who has been supplemented for this but with Luccia a potential non-runner due to the ground (recent non-runner at Newbury), a 7-runner heat would make him less appealing if there are only two places on offer.
Tip: Iberico Lord @ 10/1 (if 3 places each-way on offer)
4.10 pm – Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle Tips
Robbie Power: Lossiemouth is a certainty… I think Tellmesomethinggirl was running a big race in this 2 years ago when she got brought down at the second last so I think she’s the each-way value of the race.
Tip: Lossiemouth @ 8/13 & Tellmesomethinggirl @ 14/1 E/W
Tip: Marie’s Rock @ 14/1 E/W
David Casey : Lossiemouth was very good on Trials Day and we half expected her to do what she did, she was working that way. She’ll improve from it and she catches my eye every day on the gallop.
Ashroe Diamond was very good at Doncaster but I think Lossiemouth will win, she’s a hell of a mare and a better horse than she was last year. The two-and-a-half miles isn’t a worry at all and I think she’ll definitely win.
Tip: Lossiemouth @ 8/13
Tony Keenan : Tellmesomethinggirl is a big price. She has had two runs at the Festival, winning the Dawn Run and travelling really well here when she got brought down.
She has been building to this race all season and a step up in trip and nicer ground will suit her. Henry’s horses seem to grow another leg at Cheltenham and she’s a great price to finish in the first three.
Tip: Tellmesomethinggirl @ 14/1 E/W
Johnny Dineen: I’d say Lossiemouth is as close to a good thing as you’d get at the Festival, to be honest… Bar you get a swamp or some real heavy rain on the day, it turns into a real quagmire, turns the race into a 2-mile 6 or 3-mile race. That’s the only possible way I could see her getting beaten, she’s absolutely different class.
Ashroe Diamond has some sort of a chance but the rest of them have no chance in my opinion. I couldn’t see anything even remotely dangerous outside of Ashroe Diamond.
Tip: Lossiemouth @ 8/13
Keith Melrose: Lossiemouth is out to become Mullins' 10th winner of the Mares' Hurdle. He would become the first trainer to have 10 winners of the same Cheltenham Festival race over obstacles (he already has 12 Champion Bumper wins).
Lossiemouth is good enough to take on the boys and is probably the Mullins nap of the whole week.
Tip: Lossiemouth @ 8/13
Phil Anderson: Lossiemouth is a worthy short-priced favourite but with stamina to prove over this new trip, she might be worth taking on from an each-way perspective.
2022’s winner, Marie’s Rock has been forgotten about in the market. She has an excellent record over this sort of trip if you take out last year’s below par run in this race and she looked back on track when winning at Doncaster last time. This is obviously tougher but she’s well capable of getting in the mix if she’s somewhere close to her best.
4.50 pm – Cheltenham Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tips
Phil Anderson: BoyleSports are offering five places on the Boodles and one that looks capable of being in the mix is Batman Girac .
He was an eyecatcher at Leopardstown when last seen over Christmas and he didn’t get an ideal trip, caught in a pocket at a crucial stage. He should relish this drop down in class from Grade 2 company and a mark of 133 might just underestimate his ability.
This is one of the few hurdle races Willie Mullins hasn’t won at the Festival but it’s gone to Ireland in each of the last six years and while he’s been nibbled at in the market, he still makes each-way appeal at 10/1.
Tip: Batman Girac @ 10/1 E/W
Keith Melrose: It is rare to have an actual French-trained horse in the race which makes Milan Tino a bit of a curiosity. He was third in a Grade 2 at Auteuil in October from which the first, second, fourth and fifth finished first, second, third and fourth in the same order in a Grade 1 next time.
Meanwhile, Milan Tino came across to Britain to contest Grade 2s at Cheltenham. He has been third both times, the first time running into Burdett Road and the second behind that same horse and Sir Gino, the latter now being the favourite for the Triumph Hurdle.
Milan Tino now enters handicap company, a much easier task in general and certainly so when your rating is 126 (Sir Gino is rated 19lb higher). He is surely better than that and may be able to prove it in a bigger field which provides an end-to-end gallop.
Also worth considering in the race are Liari , a useful horse on the Flat in France who is three from three since joining Paul Nicholls, and at huge odds An Bradan Feasa who finished ahead of Milan Tino in November and has done his bit for the form since.
5.30 pm – Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Tips
Keith Melrose: This race has become a bit of a shadow of its former self in terms of field size. Runner counts in the mid-to-high teens were standard until the start of this decade, but the last three runnings have come to six, ten and now seven runners.
Smaller fields bring different opportunities to punters. In this race, both the first and second favourites will wear hoods. Normally, hoods are deployed to help horses to settle and not waste too much energy early on. Embassy Gardens and Corbetts Cross wearing the headgear likely speaks of connections' doubts over their stamina.
There will be no such concerns about Mr Vango , who won a handicap over this distance last time by 60 lengths. That was in deep ground, so the prospective softer conditions here will pose him no problems but he does need to improve.
He is therefore second choice behind Kilbeg King , who shapes like he will thrive for a test of stamina. His last two runs among top novices have not provided that. He was set plenty to do behind the impressive Il Est Francais at speedy Kempton on Boxing Day and then in the Reynoldstown at Ascot last time they finished faster than typical for the track.
Kilbeg King would still have won the Reynoldstown but for fiddling the last fence. He has the profile of an old-school winner of this race, the sort of horse who would go on to run well in a Scottish Grand National or similar later in the spring.
Tip: Kilbeg King @ 11/1
Phil Anderson: This is another race in which the Irish have a particularly strong recent record in having landed six of the last seven renewals and they are a short price to get another win on the board this year.
Salvador Ziggy only found one too good at last year’s Cheltenham Festival and he might be capable of going one better having looked like a nice prospect over fences this season.
His run in the States last time is easily forgiven and he had given the impression that he was on an upward trajectory prior to that effort. The booking of Rob James is also in his favour and the Elliott runner’s odds should be closer to the front two in the betting.
Tip: Salvador Ziggy @ 11/2
Bet on the Cheltenham Festival with our range of Cheltenham betting odds at BoyleSports.
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
Remember, always gamble responsibly . Here’s our Safer Gambling Guide .
